I think it's a combination of things. While I do work well under pressure, I think my absolute best work is when I'm relaxed and just living in the moment. The vacation allowed me to do that. I've also been spending a lot of time teaching photography (at least the basics) to others, and I think each repetition helps drive home the fundamentals so I'm less encumbered with thinking about the details and more able to just capture what I see.

The circumstances of the trip helped as well. The scenery was truly beautiful to begin with, which always makes my job easier. I had good equipment with me, especially my wide-angle lens, which was probably the single most used lens of the trip. And I had the freedom to walk, pause, shoot, at my own pace.

And, of course, the more you practice, the better you get. My skills have been slowly improving as I go. That being said, yes, I do think that I had an epiphany when I hit the beach and everything just started falling together more easily than ever.